Wild Steps of Heaven [Paperback]

Victor Villasenor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 1997

In his critically acclaimed bestseller Rain of Gold, Victor Villase-or brought his mother's family vividly to life. In Wild Steps Of Heaven, he turns to his father's family, the Villase-ors. Against a vivid backdrop of love and war, magic and heroism, the author breathes life into his father's people--and in particular, the Villase-or women*Margarita, the indomitable matriarch who was swept away by Don Juan Jesus Villase-or on the eve of the Mexican revolution*their beautiful daughters, who find strength and endurance in their mother's faith, and searing passion amidst the turmoil of war. But it is little Juan, the youngest son, through whose eyes this tumultuous saga unfolds. Juan would learn from his brother Jose, a hero of the revolution, how to be a man; and from his beloved mother, how to live and love con gusto y amor.



A story of madness and miracles, rage and redemption, In Wild Steps Of Heaven creates a riveting portrait of an extraordinary family and the country whose earth gave them roots.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this second volume of Villase?or's (Rain of Gold) Mexican trilogy, he relates the history of his father's family in the highlands of the western Mexican state of Jalisco in the early 20th century. His father was descended from a noble-blooded Spaniard and an Indian woman whose conflicting cultures epitomize those of the Mexican nation. Indeed, says Villase?or, "the story of my father's people was filled with so much rage and violence and yet this incredible faith in God.... [It] was the story of all Mexico, and the story of Mexico was the story of the last five hundred years of European dominance all over our globe." Drawing on his father's stories and those of other members of his extended family, the author reconstructs their loves, lusts, madness, deaths, births, hunger, massacres, joys and heroism in a folkloric tale reminiscent of the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. His characters and the events they live through are so outrageous that familiar stereotypes dissolve in their wake and magnetic individuals come to life, taking both the good and the bad as givens, supported by fierce love of the earth, their families, God and, above all, la vida. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This fictionalized account of the 1910 Mexican Revolution focuses on the near- destruction of the author's family and is a sequel to his Rain of Gold (LJ 7/91), though it easily stands on its own. The story, tinged with magical realism, is a compelling one, though at times almost too violent and degrading to bear. Reader Dick Hill's Spanish accent seems perfect, and he is excellent with male voices of characters ranging in age from eight to 80. His characterizations of women, however, are undramatized and without nuance. This title will be in demand with lovers of adventure and an interest in Latin ancestry.?Preston Hoffman, Shelby, N.C.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Delta (February 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385315694
• ISBN-13: 978-0385315692
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Hispanic & Latino

More About the Author

Victor Villasenor is the author of the nonfiction books Rain of Gold and Jury: The People vs. Juan Corona, and the novel, Macho! He has written several screenplays, including the award-winning The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez. Villasenor continues to live on the North County San Diego ranch where he grew up.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Epic Tale of Family Loyalty, Love, and Making of Heroes, September 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Wild Steps of Heaven (Paperback)

In times of hardship heroes are needed and none moreso than in Mexico as revolution rages. The Villasenor family patriarch, an exiled red-haired Spaniard, has married an Indian woman. The first ten years of the marriage are a time of great love and passion, and the children born first are fair and favor Don Juan Villasenor. Later children are dark like their mother. One of the dark ones, Jose, from age 12 must live in the barn because he defied his father and gentled a stallion to rescue his baby brother holding onto the leg rather than shoot the horse. In his exile and solitude a hero begins his training with Grandfather Don Pio Castro who knows Jose understands the power of love and gentleness. This will be the son who defends la familia during the revolution from the soldiers who time and again attach the village. The colonel commanding the troops more particularly desires Jose's true love Mariposa and destroys her. Ultimately, the younger brother Juan (author Villasenor's father) begins to show heroic tendencies himself and will be the one to defend his mother and the remaining family against the colonel. Villasenor moves the tale along with a powerful, songlike cadence. Notable characters are the giant cousins, Basilio and Agustin, who strip naked and race the lightning and then Halley's comet on January 17, 1910, a night of magic and love, the day before el colonel begins shooting up the home village, el paraiso de Los Altos de Jalisco. Each chapter begins with epigrams featuring "Great Father Sun" that provide a sense of power from above, as in "the heavens smile . . . as all around him the gods and serpents did battle." When the final epigram tells us "and out of these children of the earth and of the stars would now come a glorious new gente in all their wonder and fire," we realize that while we have been traveling through an exciting story with more twists and turns than fiction, we also have been participating in something approximating a creation myth. Highly recommended is Villasenor's first tale of the family Villasenor, Rain of Gold.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wild Steps of Heaven, July 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Wild Steps of Heaven (Paperback)

Read this book before you read "Rain of Gold". "Wild Steps of Heaven" is a short read and actually the paternal part of the family story. I wish Villasenor had included the info in Wild Steps of Heaven" in "Rain of Gold". Both books are a wonderful patchwork of history,and genuine family integrity. Excellent summer read!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful book., October 23, 2005

By 

Jenn Gallardo (East Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wild Steps of Heaven (Paperback)

I first read "Wild Steps of Heaven" while I was in college. I have never been one who was able to finish a full book, but I couldn't get enough of this one. And once I was through with it I had to go out and find more books by Victor Villaseñor. He makes everything seem magical but at the same time believeable. It is like the ultimate adult fairy tale. Each character has so much life. The story is one that you just want to follow, you want it to keep going. Even the sad and painful stories shine with beauty as Villaseñor tells them. This is my absolute favorite book and I highly recommend it. You won't understand until you read it.